Every Step Of the Way
by LoveWritingxoxo
Summary: Post 3x12  My take on how Naomi and everyone deal with the aftermath of the attack. Liomi!


**Summary: **Post 3x12, my version of how Naomi and everyone deal with the aftermath of the attack

**Author's Notes: **So obviously I'm a **Liomi** fan and if you're not, I'd rather you judge the writing then the couple. I just wanted to write about how I think the writers should've handled Naomi's rape. Rape is a serious thing and it just seemed kinda stupid and weird to me that right after the attack they were all like "Let's go to some weird spa thing far away!"

**Disclaimer: **I don't own 90210 and if I did, it wouldn't be as stupid as it is now

**Every Step of the Way**

Annie walked in her house shaking her head, as she couldn't believe the news she just heard. She sat down on her couch in deep thought.

She felt like a bad friend.

She was so caught up in everything 'Liam' that she didn't stop to wonder how Naomi was coping. With everything that's happened to her, you'd think she'd be crying her eyes out and depending on her friends 24/7.

But Annie knew better.

She knew Naomi hated being a burden to the people she loved. She hated being vulnerable. If she had told them, they would've looked at her differently, or so Naomi thought.

She wanted to be there for Naomi, especially after not being friends for so long last year.

Her thoughts were interrupted by her boyfriend walking through the door.

"Hey babe." he said, leaning down to kiss her.

"Hey Liam…" and just by the tone of her voice, he knew something was wrong.

"You okay?" He opened the fridge and grabbed a water bottle, tossing her one too.

She contemplated telling him what happened. She was a little nervous, afraid that it might make him run right back into her arms, fall for her again. They had a lot of history, and hadn't exactly ended on the right note.

As she was having this internal battle, she could feel Liam's eyes on her. She knew she was being selfish. Naomi was going through so much, and she knew she would need all the comfort she could get.

Even if some of that comfort came from her boyfriend.

"Annie…?" he called.

She heaved a big sigh. "I have to tell you something."

[x]

"No. That's not true." he said sternly

"Liam, yes it is! It happened yesterday! Naomi couldn't lie about something like this because Mr. Cannon was actually arrested and Silver was actually a witness!"

"But she lied to me before. Last year she said he sexually abused her when he didn't!" he yelled. Not wanting to believe that something so horrible could happen to Naomi.

"Liam that was last year! Don't you think she's grown up? If you want me to, I can take you downtown to visit Mr. Cannon in jail and to see Naomi and Silver who are still down there, as we speak, telling what happened and filling out police reports. Do you want me to do that, because I will!" she practically yelled, in disbelief that her boyfriend could be so cruel to his ex-girlfriend. The girl he once loved.

After a minute or two of sitting in silence he finally spoke.

"I gotta go." He grabbed his jacket and left out the door.

Annie didn't protest as she watched him leave. She knew he had to do this. She just hoped it wouldn't interfere with their relationship.

[x]

Naomi sighed as she walked in her apartment. She winced as she spotted the spot where Cannon snuck up on her. She walked farther in, wrapping her arms around herself, wishing she wasn't alone.

She changed into her pj's but knew it was no use since she wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight either.

Suddenly she heard her doorknob turn. She whipped her head around and instantly became anxious. Even though she saw Cannon in the jail cell and knew there was no way he could possibly have gotten out so quickly, she still became terribly frightened.

The door opened gradually and in walked a shaking Silver.

Naomi let out a breath of relief, realizing it was her friend.

"I'm too scared to stay in my house alone." she confessed, trying to keep her voice together.

Naomi instantly walked over to envelope her in a big hug. "I'm glad you're here." she murmured into her hair.

The two friends stayed like that for a while before snuggling up together in her queen sized bed.

After a while Naomi looked over and saw Silver sleeping soundly. She sighed; a little jealous she, herself couldn't fall asleep.

Suddenly she heard a knock at her door. She glanced at the clock. _2:45 am._

_What the hell?_

She made her way to the door but suddenly stopped herself. It could be _him._ She knew it was highly unlikely, but she was still scared shitless.

"Who is it?" she hesitantly called out.

"Liam." said a deep voice on the other end.

Liam.

What would Liam be doing here at 2:45 in the morning?

Better yet, what the hell would Liam be doing over here in the first place? After the way they ended things, them not so much as even sharing a 'hello' . . . . . . they just stayed away from each other.

She slowly opened the door for him to step through. As she closed it, she took her time turning around, not really prepared for the conversation ahead. She assumed he heard about what happened.

And she assumed that's why he was here.

She watched him pace back and forth for exactly 2 minutes, collecting his thoughts. Finally, as she was about to speak, he opened his mouth.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

She scoffed. "Well considering you broke my heart and didn't exactly believe me the first time, I didn't really see the use in telling you everything that's been going on in my personal life." she said sarcastically as she brushed by him into her kitchen.

"Don't joke around Naomi, I'm serious! And you lied the first time! So don't blame me for having good reason to question everything you say!" he yelled. He was beyond furious - at Naomi for keeping this from him, and that bastard for having the nerve to put his hands on her.

"I know, okay?" she rushed. "I felt horrible for lying to you, to everybody! I knew if I told you . . . . you wouldn't believe me and you'd only hate me more." She looked down, ashamed.

"Naomi -" he whispered his voice soft.

"I didn't tell you because I didn't think I deserved your sympathy. I watched you slip away right before my eyes and drove you into the arms of someone else with my lies."

At this point, a few tears made it down her cheeks, and it's getting hard for him to watch her slowly start to breakdown.

"I felt terrible for what I did Liam. It was really hard to get Silver to believe me, imagine how much harder it would've been to get you to believe me!"

"I have been dealing with this for months . . . . alone. And it's hard Liam it's really hard!" she paused momentarily to gather her thoughts. "Some days I go the whole night without getting a wink of sleep. Other days I feel like I deserved this. If I hadn't made up that stupid rumor in the first place – "

"Hey." he said, his voice firm and steady. "No one in their right mind ever deserves to go through something that horrible."

He lifted her chin so he could look her directly into her glistening eyes, fresh with tears.

"You're gonna get through this Naomi. Even if it takes years, you're gonna get through this."

His soft reassuring voice, like music to her ears, made her strangely start to calm down. Her sobs even stopped, little by little.

"And I'll be here with you, every step of the way." He whispered the last part and as she stared in to his eyes . . . . . she knew he meant it.


End file.
